11 September 2008
Singing Hills is Silent Now
Posted by admin under: camps .
MILWAUKEE - A southeastern Wisconsin camp used by Girl Scouts for more than 50 years has been sold. Camp Singing Hills in the town of La Grange had been closed since 2003 and for sale since 2004.
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast vice president Anita Rodriguez says a nearby resident bought the 166-acre camp last week for $7.25 million. Board chair Joan Shafer says $800,000 will be used to pay off Girl Scouts buildings in Kenosha and Racine.
The camp’s supporters had filed a lawsuit to try to stop the sale.
But Girl Scout officials said interest in camping had declined and it would have cost $2 million to upgrade the camp and keep it open. Rodriguez says other camps are available for interested troops.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-scoutcampsold,0,6660750.story
Brought to you by the friendly folks of the Associated Press. This is why people who donate camps to Scouting nowadays write in their wills that the property reverts back to the estate in the event that the Scouts don’t want it any more. Another Girl Scout camping opportunity gone. Well, they said it was lack of interest on the part of the girls. I’ll just take them at their word.
Possibly Related Posts:- Sheboygan Girl Scouts Fight Merger
- GSUSA Time Article Still Rippling
- Boy Scout Sell-off
- Girl Scouts of Wisconsin
- Girl Scout Green Gone Wrong
5 Comments so far...
Cici Says:
13 September 2008 at 11:59 am.
Our local council says that interest in camping has waned. I have 2 problems with that.
1. They closed the camp with very little notice a couple of years ago. Our girls scrambled to find another camp but availability is sparse when you register late and they did not get into a good program. Naturally; some families didn’t even bother with the hassle. Consequently; my girls have not returned to Camp Lakota (our local camp) because they are afraid it will happen again AND they have since found a city girls camp that they enjoy. Since that camp closure the council has not been able to fill up the resident camp. They changed camp this summer to only offer 4day (Th-Su) camping opportunities for troops. Apparently this was not a good change as I heard they canceled sessions on the troops that DID sign up. They never should have shut down that first year. Next year (as you have already noted in another article) there will be no resident camp in the Greater Los Angeles Council… Camp Hollywoodland has a waiting list every year. I do NOT think that interest in camping has waned. I think faith in the Girl Scout camp has waned.
2. If they really believe that interest in camping has waned; DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! The GSUSA even admits on their webpage that most girls do not find leadership to be something they are interested in. That isn’t stopping them from making it the major focus of their program! This is why I believe that the powers that be in GSUSA are the ones whose interest is waning in camping. It is not THEIR focus so they are willing to put it on a backburner! I’ve said it before: You can get leadership skills at school and in MANY other organizations. Where else can you get an opportunity to camp and learn outdoor skills? I guess you just have to wait until you’re 14 and then join the Boy Scouts. Unfortunately; I don’t think Boy Scouts like slumber parties and fashion shows. It’s too bad that we can’t have it all like we used to…
Bill Says:
18 September 2008 at 5:42 pm.
The people who tried to save the camp or keep it open were blocked at every turn.
The council was offered aid ranging from $2 mil up to $6 mil for renovations or handing off “management” of the camp to other groups and they didn’t accept it. It was heartbreaking when they just refused to even consider keeping the camp open.
Keep an eye out for the Elkhorn Independent, they are suppose to be running an article sometime with in the next few weeks with the other side of what happened.
admin Says:
18 September 2008 at 5:44 pm.
Thanks for the heads up, Bill. We’ll keep an eye open for it. Actually, Stehphanie at the paper says they just ran it today and she’s sending me a copy of what it was they ran. Thanks, again Bill.
Bill Says:
22 September 2008 at 3:06 pm.
if you could forward the article to me I would appreciate it as I can’t find it.
admin Says:
22 September 2008 at 3:53 pm.
I’ll be happy to, but I haven’t received anything from Stephanie yet. I think I’m going to have to call her back.
